Hello all - Long time incommunicado on the fate of the Press 5x7 that suffered curtain failure a few years ago. Bert, you may remember that I was not sure if the curtain had torn or if the straps had let go. As it turns out, after a top to bottom lube on the shutter mechanism/rollers, the shutter was a bit too free wheeling. First time I shot it, the curtain straps parted and the shutter lost tension, shall we say, rather dramatically.

Fast forward a few years. Tonight I disassembled the camera and along with the above diagnosis, came up with a few observations and a few questions as well.

In the observation department: the shutter curtain in this camera is beautifully finished, much more so than the curtain in my Series B. The curtain edges are nicely folded over on themselves in order to provide reinforcement. The spars that keep the slits on their best behavior are quite a bit larger than the spars on my 4x5. They are pinned or riveted at the ends. They look as if they might actually lend themselves to reuse, which is not something I felt inclined to do when rebuilding my 4x5. The fabric is hopelessly aged. No amount of Pledge or wishful thinking is going to bring it back. The shutter spring survived the explosive decompression with no apparent ill effects. (Bert, it really is like the clock spring you mentioned years ago.) It still coils patiently inside the mechanism.

On the question side, the top roller of the curtain came right out of the camera. The bottom won't quite slide over far enough to allow one side to lift out. It just misses. Does anyone know if there is a trick to popping it out? Or must the mirror box be moved out of the way? Or can the new curtain be put on without taking the spool out completely?

In the interest of saving time and effort, I would be willing to buy a prefabricated curtain. Does anyone know if they are still available anywhere?

Hi Bert - I unscrewed and removed the female part of the bushing assembly from the release lever side of the body. I removed the hardware from the other side of the camera also. My instinct is to slide the roller away from the release lever side and thereby allow that end of the roller to pop up and out. However I cannot slide the roller quite far enough over to get enough clearance to lift the end up and out. Is it safe to assume the roller comes out as one piece, without needing to first remove one of the male projections on the roller?

Thanks, John

bertsaunders wrote:

Semi,
Had no problems removing the bottom roller in my (2) Press cameras, did you remove the roller bushing on the release lever side??
Have a nice day....Bert

Semi,
I have one of mine torn down, and to refresh my memory on the problem I had removing the bottom roll, I dug out the curtain and the body........as with all SLR models, the first thing I did was.....roll the curtain onto the top roller! (Body has no hardware in place)!
Next, with the back of the body facing up, I pulled the roll to the right....thru the opening on the hardware side, until the roller was free on the release side.....release side raised straight >up< and >out< at about a 45 deg angle, until bottom of the flange clears the long inside panel on the hardware side......hardware end will then clear the body cavity, and voila........success at last!
Probably easier said than done, but that is the way I had to do it with both of mine!
Have fun.......and have a nice day..........Bert

Semi and I have exchanged several photos trying to find a reason he cannot remove the bottom roller from the body of his press....have come to a solution, .....have determined that he has not removed enough parts from the inside of the body.....the one part he needs to remove is on the hardware side...the piece is a triangular shaped mirror support....2 screws at about a 15 deg angle holding the piece in place, the support is inset 3/8" from the back of the body (and parallel to it)....at the top a 3rd screw in a strap that attaches on the flat above the mirror shaft!
If anyone else is interested in the photos we have taken, I will be glad to share them with anyone interested! Not to many press cameras floating around, so maybe all the responce I get....will be silence...
Hope you are all enjoying this Holiday weekend....Bert

Hi Bert - I grabbed some time this weekend and cut out the shutter blank. In my Press the shutter had two tapes of shutter material running right along the entire length. There is still some trace of adhesive at the edges of the tapes. The work looks factory to me. Two quick questions:

Do your presses have the tapes?

If the tapes belong there, do you think contact cement is the way to put them on? Or would some high-powered permanent stuff be better?

Semi,
The original curtains had no reinforcing along the edges! Never use contact cement on the curtains! (It is not flexable and it can crack when bent)! If you do need to re-inforce the edges, I suggest that you use rubber cement....apply a light coat on both surfaces.....let it dry until it takes on a dull glossy look....then carefully lay the pieces together.....carefully....because you now have a flexable contact cement, just like the original contact cement.....it is very tenacious......
It will come apart, but you must do it slowly.....Suggest a tite weeve cotton or bellows material!
Have a nice day.........Bert

Last edited by bertsaunders on Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:04 am; edited 1 time in total